Every system is either revealing the truth or hiding it.
A recording captures more than notes. It contains spatial cues, harmonic textures, dynamic contrasts, and the acoustic fingerprint of the venue. A playback system’s job is not to reinterpret those elements, but to preserve them.
Coloration often creeps in subtly. Cabinet resonance adds thickness. Excessive feedback can make sound clinical. Poor power supply regulation compresses dynamics. None of these distortions announce themselves clearly; they simply alter the message.
Transparency requires linearity across frequency and dynamic range. It requires low noise and stable power delivery. It requires careful attention to grounding and layout so that delicate signals aren’t contaminated before they reach the speakers.
We owe the recording that level of respect. And when we give it, the reward is a listening experience that feels less like reproduction and more like presence.
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